I believe in belief.

Funny, father

He waited patiently for them to ask him what he knew they would ask. In cases like this, the question - simple though it was - took a while to wade past the torrent of nervous excitement and exhilaration, before finally being blurted out in burst of devil-may-care bravado.

And so it was, that several long minutes after stumbling their way through a litany of their past and their beliefs and their hopes, the braver of the two youngsters asked him if he would marry them.

Ahh. Finally.

He smiled slowly, and then said, "But I can't do that. My order demands that I remain celibate".

And as he saw their smiles falter in confused bewilderment, he began to chuckle loudly, as he always did. It was such a funny joke.

Manual of Life - Things You Didn't Realise Were Weird Till You Did #45

I can't quite remember the first time I ever noticed that something I had taken for granted all along, was perhaps not the only way that thing had to be. But I'm certain it affected me then as all such moments affect me today - with a tide of surreality washing over me, making me wander around for hours later looking at everything as if I was noticing them clearly for the first time, and asking myself how...and why...I'd been ignoring the obviousness of it all.

I increasingly look for those moments, searching for things around and within me that I've simply accepted because that's how they were when I found them, but which - on a little probing - prove to be just one of various possible options, or (even better) not the truth at all. It's quite an amazing feeling when you get there (and I'm sure most of you will have felt it), of almost not being here fully, and of feeling that if you just tried a little harder, then you would be able to understand the meaning of it all.

And these moments do not necessarily come from ponderings over profound matters, or pivotal and life-changing events. Sometimes, they can occur due to the most trivial and absurd matters.

For instance, socks.

During the donning of one such item before a brief sally into the chill night, the uncontrolled part of the brain suddenly noticed that in effect, they were gloves for the feet, weren't they? But if so (and this was the surreal-inducing bit) why did they have one all-encompassing cover, rather than individual slots for each toe?

That thought kept me rooted to my position for about five whole minutes.

I could not believe I had never questioned this before, when it made so much more sense (because you would be able to wiggle your toes, and they would be warmer because they were each snuggly fitted rather than having air-space between them, and surely you would get a better grip with your feet if you could spread your toes (as you do with bare feet)). I didn't even know if somebody else had thought of this before and manufactured them, or if they had been a brief fad and then failed. Of course, they do exist, and I obviously missed the whole fad, because I really can't remember having ever seen anybody wearing one of these, or noticing them being sold on the racks. And yes, I guess they're not that common because it costs the manufacturer more, and the only argument I can think of against them is that they don't help your feet fit into shoes as well as the regular socks do....

...but what really shook me was that I'd never thought of it, had never heard anyone mention it, or even read any reference to the same. It was one of those things. Even though there is another way - which may be better.

And these were just socks! What else had I been missing?

I gotta tell you, for a few moments there, reality felt mighty thin.

You were expecting something profound?

Kim/Amelie/Arkady, she noted.
Kaa
"Look into my eeeeeeeyes"
(python)
Cleese
cheese
Asterix in Switzerland
clocks
(tower)
The Dark Tower
ka
Kaka
Ro-Ro
stream
Hemingway
Duvalier
voodoo
Santana
(Wyclef)
November
rain
Slash(dot)
Apple
snake
...kaa.

If film-titles were written by bored foodies, we'd have...

Kam pani
Maa, cheese
and, of course,
Bun, tea, or bubbly?

Guide to Blogging - Problems, disorders and side-effects*

Blogbubble syndrome.

What is it? A particularly virulent form of Realitus Disconnectus, wherein the sufferer firmly believes that their blog exists in a self-contained universe, and is not linked to their real lives. Gets its name by the phrase uttered by Dr. Frida Johnston, who on first diagnosing this disorder, noted, "These frikkin' (sic) bloggers think they live in a frikkin' bubble!".

Likely to affect: Bloggers whose identities are known publicly, or at least, to some other bloggers. Diaryists are particularly vulnerable.

Symptoms: Such bloggers (perhaps unconsciously) continue to post about personal details as well as opinions on people and events in their lives, while simultaneously repressing the knowledge that such posts are being read by the very people being referred to.

Causes: The God-complex; inability (or choice) not to think things through.

Effects: The onset of this syndrome often results in unpleasant offline showdowns, notably by people reacting to less-than-kind words being written about them. Afflicted bloggers are also likely to find themselves at a handicap socially, as not only can their behaviour and reactions be predicted reasonably accurately, but any attempt at dissemination or evasive courtesy is seen through, due to public knowledge of their real desires and opinions.

Treatment: A quick Reality-check is usually enough to make the blogger aware of the problem. More troublesome cases may be helped by judicious application of Bootinass.


* Apparently, we're not done with the meta-blogging.

Heh.

Instead of doing whatever it is he's doing now, Falstaff should have taken this subject instead.

I believe I may be speaking for many people, when I say that don't know of anyone who would be more perfect for it.

"(We're all miracles. Know why? Because) as humans, every day we go about our business, and all that time we know... we all know ... that the things we love, the people we love, at any time can all be taken away. We live knowing that and we keep going anyway."

- Little Children

And finally

To end the week of meta-blogging -

* Here's a blog-concept I would like to see - Meta-blogs (if I was a techie, or an entrepreneur, I'd do it myself, but since I'm neither, you're free to use it up and go make your millions. But just remember this, when you're sitting in your little log cabin drinking brandy hot chocolate and munching on waffles, it was I who came up with. Remember that!)

A community/group blogtool, so that multiple blogs exist on one page. I'm aware that the bigger corporate sites have several blogs under one domain, but those are just additions to an existing site. And this is different from a current group blog, which is just one blog with several authors.

What I'm proposing is a method where a group of people, under one URL, can have individual blogs. Maybe in tabs, or in different links, like some of those WordPress/Typepad ones. I'm not really clear on the layout - but I'm sure you (you scheming, idea-stealing techie you!) can imagine what I'm trying to get at.

Why would anyone want this? Well, for starters it would save on having to go to 15 different blogsites to leave a comment, or see if someone has left a comment to your comment, and so on. Also for Diarying friends spread across the world, who may or may not be interested in other blogs. Or for people who blog a lot on certain topics or fields, like Caferati or Momus, thus avoiding having to scroll down all the time if multiple posts are put up on one day. Instead, you can just go to another tab and see what somebody else has written. It could also have a central commentspace, so people don't miss out on all the action on some other spot - and you know that's a common occurence amongst bloggers who read too many blogs and leave comments on too many places.

Think of it as Yahoogroups for Blogs. Idea accha hain?


* Which brings me to another idea. Now, there are a fair amount of bloggers who likely classify themselves as unpublished authors (no particular reference intended). It is also likely that a fair amount of them do not post their best - or any - material on their blogs, because they still hope that they will be able to flog it for a book-deal. It is also more than likely that such bloggers...sorry, writers...while perhaps not in need of spare change, would welcome the occasional spare change - if only to buy more books to read. Or wine to drink. Or both.

Therefore - and I suggest this keeping fully in mind the increasing availability of free content, the very cornerstone of blogging as being unpaid for, and the other options of generating revenue from blogging through means such as ads etc - I think an interesting trial would be for a group of unpublished/little published bloggers, who are known for their writing skills, to create a blog where they agree to post their poems/short stories/whathaveyou in return for a standard subscription fee.

Falstaff, I really thought of this while reading one of your short stories....the DICE one. Now, the publishers might have their own reasons for not printing your stories, but some of them are quite good, as many of us agree. As are poems by Space Bar and Phanty, amongst others.

Now, obviously, there are lots of logistical issues but the core issue is this...

Would people be willing to pay for a not-very-high, but still sem-substantial fee for access to such a blog? I, for one, would not be at all averse to paying - oh say $10?$20? a year to subscribe, if I could get to read some of this stuff on a regular basis.

That said, I would only pay for unpublished/little published writers. People who have big-buck book deals can jolly well put their blogs up for free. So, while I would pay for a Neil Gaiman book, but not his blog, I would pay for a blog that Falsie, Neha Vish, Shoefiend, Space Bar, and Phantasmagoria would contribute to.

Now, there will be many who will want to and continue to post such fiction freely. I would, and I suspect many others would. But I don't Write, and if such a scheme allows people who genuinely and passionately do Write to continue to do so, by offering not only a dedicated audience, but some money, not to mention keeping them interested in blogging (which really is the main purpose here)....

...well, would you support it?

A break from the meta-blogging

Sometimes, you come across people who will either inspire and awe you, or fill you with bouts of envy and irrational hatred.

For instance, Alfonso de Portago. One of those characters you think only belong in a Errol Flynn flick. Who just happened to be an F1 driver, won the Tour de France automobile race, rode in the Grand National twice, and was part of the bobsleigh team in the '56 Winter Olympics. All before he was 28.

...aur humne kya kiya? Ghanta.

More on such colourful personalities on this piece on the F1 drivers of yore.

...but is it "writing"?

It is the nature of every niche to try and justify its existence. And if the process takes a celebratory, navel-gazing approach which ends up proving just how necessary and important it is, then so much the better.

And so, inevitably, blog-posts will end up observing the world of blogging. And since I'm not vying for will-power awards, I give in, and for this week this space will all (as KM puts it) "meta".

*******************************************************
Today's topic:
Is blogging a style/genre/niche of Writing at all, or is it just "words and sentences and punctuation"?

I am in favour of the former. Not fully, mind you, but definitely leaning in a manner obvious to the naked eye. And pray, what justification is there for said slanted stance?

Before that though, to define Writing, as opposed to writing. The group domain, as it were.

How about - a unique, easily identificable, style/format of presenting prose/poetry? Simplistic perhaps, but seems to cover all bases.

So, then, to slightly alter the topic. The search is to be able to justify Blogging as being a unique subset of Writing, not as being distinct from Writing. And for that, all one needs to show is that it has distinct features which can mark it out from other styles (such as journalism, magic realism, free-verse, stream-of-consciousness), and which are likely to be representative of the majority of bloggers.

So, if everyone is ok with the story so far, then (possible) evidence is as follows:

1) The very time-based nature of the format creates a unique atmosphere, in a way that is quite distinct from that of journalism, which is merely chronologically-bound. No, what subtly colours how we blog is the possibility of an instantaneous outpouring of ideas and thoughts. How many of us haven't posted something either as an immediate reaction to a story read elsewhere, or after some event in our lives, or when some sudden idea strikes us? Very few, I would reckon.

Ah, but you say, that's just reaction, that's not a different form of writing. But it is Writing, because the spontaneity alters the very words and ideas that we type, as opposed to if we took the time to think about. My posts this week, for instance, would have been much better organised and written in-depth than if they were not being hurriedly churned out while I wait for that delicious pot of spiced pulao to finish cooking.

Therefore, to summarise point 1: Evolution of a spontaneous, stream-of-consciousness style.

2) As also pointed in a post yesterday, the time factor is present not only on the input end, but from the end-receiver too. Knowing that most of your readers are likely to have many blog-posts to go through on any day, apart from all the news and other work-related things they need to read, in between other mundane aspects like...oh, having a life - that gradually makes most bloggers (with the exception of some like Falstaff and the Punkster) restrict their posts to a certain length range, generally speaking. Whether this is a good thing or not is a separate issue (I don't think it is), but what matters is that it results in a different stlye of Writing.

Blog-posts are - for better or worse - expected to be a quick read, and if they're on a serious topic, spread across several posts (even TR's China descriptions seemed longer than they were because of all those gorgeous snaps in between). Which is why any post that's longer than, say, six 10-line paras (such as this one) usually begin with a "Warning: Lengthy post" salutation.

So, point 2: Self-regulating length-restrictive writing.

3) Stylistic influences. Because blogging, at some level, is a social activity (respond to comments, go leave comments, reciprocate blogrolls, etc), and because bloggers tend to find those who have similar interests and/or writing styles, it is likely that a certain amount of osmosis will take place between the same.

While current bloggers may still be maintaining a unique voice of their own, it is already common to see key words and phrases being picked up and spread through mutual circles. And many bloggers write posts that are triggered by a phrase or throw-away idea seen in others' posts, often to delve deeper into the idea, or to explore a tangential part of it.

Apart from all this, it could be argued that regular bloggers are indirectly forced to get more inventive in the material of their posts, simply because a lot of what they think/feel/do, has already been covered by other bloggers. After all, given that they are all inhabiting the same subset of Bloggerdom (sharing similar interests etc), it is more than likely than they may all react to certain things in a similar manner. Hence, bloggers see greater need to delve further and deeper and wider into matters on which they may post.

Thus, point 3: Styles are affected by blogging peers.


******************************************************
There are some more points here, but this has gone on a little too long already, and the pulao's quite ready, so let's just have the discussions already and I'll either do another post tomorrow, or merge the additional points here.

However, to make my position clear, to me Blogging is more than just having a blog, and posting on it things that have already been written, or using the blog merely as event-diaries without any observations or insights. It is the focused or spontaneous creation of material, as well as an overall awareness and exploration of the medium and the opportunities it offers.

Simply, Blogging is to having a blog, as Poetry is to writing a poem, or Art is painting.

I agree that it's probably difficult to name many blogs that currently fit the above criteria, but I put that down to the newness of the whole experience. Once the numbers of for-the-heck-of-it bloggers tapers off, and those left increasingly start experimenting more, it will be easier to see more bloggers who Write.


PS. Update: A day later, I notice how many sentences start with "and" and "so". Something to work on.

And while we're on blogs

Have you - and I mean this as a direct question - noticed a change in style in your writing since you began blogging actively? (I even include Falsie in the list of questionees, despite feeling that his 600-word comments prove that his style is not that untouched)

Some time back, Neha Vish posted on the same topic. And in recent days, it's got me thinking along similar lines.

About how many ideas and topics don't get posted because of these unspoken rules regarding the length of blog posts, with everybody aware that their readers often have scores (or, in the case of one incorrigible reader, 520) of other posts to read, and so subconsciously tailoring their posts.

About whether the reason most bloggers end up writing in a witty/funny/snarky tone is indirectly because of said time constraints (because people with little time are more likely to read something lighter or sarcastic in vein, than a long treatise, brilliant though it may be*), or because the barrier of virtualspace allows them to drop the shackles of polite behaviour, or because that's how they wrote anyway.

About whether bloggers write less or more about certain topics, and in a certain style, because of reader expectations and pressure. And if so, whether and by how much this is heightened/curbed when bloggers move beyond the anonymous nicknames and get to know each other.

This is apart from my belief that writing styles have changed dramatically since people stopped...well...writing. Certainly I wouldn't be this fluid and semi-prolific if I weren't typing this down.

So, go on - has blogging changed your style of writing?

And to answer the question for myself, yes it has. I'm moving more and more towards a simplistic, yet not bare-bones style of writing, and find I cannot muster the effort to turn ideas into long theory posts (this post is a good example of the same). This may or may not have to do with an aim to try to post on a regular basis, which in turn is fuelled by the knowledge that if I don't, then I'll just go the way of bloggers like Flaffy, AQC, MockTurtle, J., and the Skeptical lady.


* Which is why I won't Urf a thesis....and that's all I have to say about that.